Should I try to open the pool cover track...?

[PoolWalla]

My cover slipped out of the track on one side. I see that the track has a screw every 30 inches or so, but it seems like the track is not hinged, i.e., that even without those screws it's not going to pop open so I can reset the rope inside the edge of the cover. I read elsewhere that it's all about re-feeding the cover in when it's fully retracted, but that's my issue—the cover doesn't want to retract in this state. Right now I've got between a third and half of the pool length in cover-edge that's out of the track.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

It's not an easy DIY job. My autocover manual says

UNCOVERING THE POOL MANUALLY
This operation requires two people. Remove the aluminum lid by removing all the hinge screws. Remove the shifting collar to separate the main shaft from the motor shaft. With one person on each side, pull the cover back, sliding the material out of the ends of the track. Try to pull the material as level with the track as possible. “Accordion-fold” the material as it comes out in back of the mechanism. The “trick” is to pull both sides simultaneously, exerting the same amount of energy and maintaining the same rhythm. It may help to pull some rope off of the two reels to reduce the tension. Unless an emergency exists that would not permit waiting for a technician, manual removal of your cover should be accomplished only by an authorized technician.

The other thing you could try would be to remove the track on the one side, then slide it back onto the cover material, then reattach the track. Also not terribly easy and you'd have to be in the pool, so I hope your water's warm.